$25 PL Omaha Hi on party.

I've been trying to play tight since I know people pay off the nuts. I've been limping a bit since I'm more used to limit Holdem when raising gets more respected and their aren't so many people with draws. I know I should be raising more but I'm wondering what hands I should actually be playing. Here are some examples.

1) AKJT rainbow, single or double suited - raise in any position? Limp from anywhere?
2) KQJX single suited
3) T98X double suited
4) A377 suited Ace
5) AT77 double or single suited with suited ace
6) J988 single suited.
7) KK77 double or single suited
8) AAXX off - I know its Aces but its got nothing to go with it.
9) A367 double suited
10) KK-QQ with two blanks, offsuit.

No need to go into detail. Just wondering if these hands are worth playing, raising or just garbage. Thanks.

1) AKJT rainbow, single or double suited - raise in any position? Limp from anywhere?

Rainbow it's probably just about limpable, though nowhere near as strong as it looks in a full game. Double suited its strong, and you could consider a raise. A suited ace is always a powerful feature, and this hand makes a number of straights (all nut) and has some good high two-pair/boat potential.

2) KQJX single suited

Depends what the x is. If it's a complete limpet that does nothing for your hand, with the crap blind structure at party it should be consigned to the muck without a second thought. Make it a 9 or a T and you have a playable hand, same as if it's a pair. Don't play three card drawing hands, let others put money in on them.

3) T98X double suited

Again the X needs to connect, i'd probably muck it otherwise but with a big enough stack you could play (i.e. not at party!). Being double suited is nice but with the whole table likely to be seeing the flop it won't be a great deal of help in most situations unless you paint your flush by the backdoor route. Again, I think a tight player should fold.

4) A377 suited Ace

Marginally (and I mean MARGINALLY) playable, but a tight player should probably fold. Middle and bottom sets can be a world of trouble, especially with such a small stack, and realistically 77 is never going to make a top set without a straight draw being out. Maybe you could limp in on the button or in the blinds, but really this is not such a great hand. Make it something like JJ and I'm much more inclined to take a peek. No raising with this nonsense.

5) AT77 double or single suited with suited ace

Errrr this is the same hand as in 4), except it makes a tiny number of very unlikely straights. The ten changes nothing. MAYBE double suited it makes it marginally more limpable, but I don't like playing these sort of hands out of position. Limp from late if you wish, you'll lose little by folding it although I usually limp these sort of holdings.

6) J988 single suited.

Again, pretty marginal. The 8's have got big middle set potential, and your straight draw is better with everything connected up. Again, you'd lose little by folding this. If double suited it's perhaps slightly better, though again it's not a great hand. I usually limp with this, but at party with the tiny stacks you have as good a reason to fold, too.

7) KK77 double or single suited

I actually quite like these double pair hands. They're obviously better with two big pairs, the 7s are not so great as I described previously. Pairs are nice at party as (especially at 25PLO) people are so willing to pay off big bets with 2 pair and sketchy drawing hands that catching middle or bottom set is much more valuable than in a "real" game (where you generally have to pass it to any action). Being double suited is nice, K-high flush features being pretty handy to have (although nowhere NEAR as good as the A-high). I usually call down almost any hand containing a high pair at party becuase you'll get paid off more often than not if you hit a top set flop. Think of it like a small PP in NLHE; play to hit your set(s) and get out if the board misses you.

8. AAXX off - I know its Aces but its got nothing to go with it.

He he... biggest trap hand in the game. So many people overplay AAxx it's untrue. Certainly, with no side cards, I really don't like raising it and am most inclined to limp (which also has some value for disguising your hand against observant players). If the flop misses you try not to just go betting like crazy, regardless. Fold equity is likely to be very low at 25PLO so you'll likely face a caller or two and all of a sudden your weedy AA hand looks to be in trouble. Could well be safer on these tables to limp for a set and muck it if you miss. The top players very rarely fold AAxx hands preflop, but in all honesty I probably would consider doing so at 25PLO (party) with NO side features. It's too easy to get committed to a hand that in reality isn't that strong unless you see a third rocket on the flop (and note that if someone has raised, the chances are very good that they have one of the last two aces! Then what do you do if the flop comes low and he leads out for the pot??? Better, IMO, not to get into that spot, even though you hold likely the best hand preflop). Note that AAxx unsuited is only about a 55% favourite against a RANDOM 4 card hand if you move all in!

9) A367 double suited

Well, it's maybe limpable, i'd love to see that 3 turned into a 4 or 5 though, to improve your straight chances. These "suited ace with low straight" type hands can be very profitable in games with bigger stacks; they have potential to hit really big draws if your flush draw and if a low straight draw hits, you could have nearly half the deck as outs. At 25PLO, when people will pay off with weak straights and flushes, suited aces become more valuable (which counteracts the tiny stack problem somewhat). These hands are easy to get away from if the flop misses you, which has something to commend it to beginning players. I wouldn't go calling large raises with such a small stack, as you need a very specific flop to get anywhere with this hand. Plays OK in multiway pots. Turn it into A567ds and you have a much better hand.

10) KK-QQ with two blanks, offsuit.

He he. Well, conventional wisdom says fold, but if I know I can get in for a limp (table is passive OR i'm in LP) I will limp with these and try to catch a set. Again, fold without a second thought if you miss, even if you have an overpair. If there's an aggressive player yet to act, then perhaps playing safe and mucking would be better. These hands want the biggest pot odds and implied odds they can get to make set-chasing worthwhile. In all honesty, I usually like to have at least SOME sort of backup feature. KKT9 with a suited K, for instance, I'd always play from pretty much any position.

Hope this helps. Basically, as a beginner, play real tight and don't get involved with a hand if you don't know how best to approach it post flop, or what flop you're looking for. Stick to what you know and be prepared to fold a LOT on the flop. In PLO, the flop is the most improtant street by a MILE and thus you can comfortably take a lot of marginal hands that far, if you can muck them easily unless you hit an ideal flop. At Party, the small stacks makes playing marginal hands slightly less profitable due to reduced implied odds for hitting, but it's not a massive factor. Don't worry unduly about making dodgy calls preflop as all your big decisions will come on the next street - the flop.

Monk
xxxxx

I appreciate the detail you went into with your answers. I started my first sessions tight and did really well. Then I got overconfident and was limping with all of these hands thinking I would still win big and then I got my head handed to me on a plate for 4 hours. I went back to being tight and was somehow managing to win it all back avoiding a lot of these hands, or limping for a set and folding as you said. I fell into the trap that all hands have possibilities so I always wanted to see a flop. I would then always run my 2nd best hand into the nuts.